Concert of Europe

The Concert of Europe was an era that lasted from the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815 to the start of the Crimean War in 1853. The Concert was created by the Quadruple Alliance of the United Kingdom, Austrian Empire, Russian Empire, and Prussia in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars with the goal of maintaining the balance of power and creating a new order in Europe. The four powers restored legitimate rulers to their thrones, redrew the borders of several European countries to punish the former allies of Napoleon I and reward the coalition members, ensured that the nations of Europe each had adequate protection against one another, and set up a conservative and reactionary order that ruled Europe for decades. Issues were resolved through negotiations instead of wars of aggression, although wars of aggression would not be the cause of the horrible violence of the 1820s-1840s. Instead, this would be liberal agitation that arose during the Age of Liberalism, and revolutionary waves occurred in 1820, 1830, and 1848, with most of the uprisings being put down. However, liberal factions in European politics would become powerful, and many nations would be forced to reform their politics and adopt constitutions. The Concert of Europe came to an end in 1853 with the start of the Crimean War between France, the Ottoman Empire, Britain, and Sardinia-Piedmont and Russia.